|
There are many parallels between the challenges faced in this book and our modern times. Overall I enjoyed reading this book. I wonder if we have any around today. It takes the passage of time to spot a Lincoln. Having read very little about Lincoln or the Civil War, I found this book informative and a rather quick read. I'm always surprised when reading history that we (humans) keep making the same mistakes over and over and over.
Good book. I was a little disappointed, but I guess I should have paid for faster shipping. The product is great but the shipping was slow. I ordered it on December 11 but it still ordered at the end of the month (well after Christmas.it was intended as a Christmas gift).
I am very impressed with the thoroughness of this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the politics of our country during the period of Abraham Lincoln.
The loss of spouses and children to illness was horrifically commonplace back then. Sure, Lincoln was perhaps the greatest leader this country has ever produced, and if anyone was close to being so superhuman, it may have been him. Obviously, Goodwin did tons of research, and one marvels at her ability to provide such detail when describing day-to-day events that occurred 150 years ago.
One small criticism I have of the book is that at times it verges on hagiography. Still, a more critical, nuanced analysis of his presidency would have made the overall portrait ring truer and helped us develop a more complete understanding of the man. The way Goodwin tells it, it seems like every decision made by Lincoln is a wise one, every political strategy of his is brilliant, every word spoken by him evidence of his magnanimity and greatness.
As others have said, this is a very detailed, engrossing account of the Lincoln years. I can barely fathom how these men were able to suffer these awful losses and still find the inner strength to carry on and shoulder the heavy responsibilities of running the country.
The book deserves the the high praise it gets in the reviews here.One thing that struck me was the unimaginable tragedy people of that era had to endure due to the primitive medical resources at the time. This affected people from all walks of life, and Lincoln and his cabinet were no exception.
If I were teaching high school history I would make my students read this book for a book report. "the Civil War". Probably one of the best historical books I have read.No wonder he is our greatest President. I would also make them watch in class Ken Burns epic series on P.B.S. This book also puts into prespective that our present day politics is really not that bad compared to what Lincoln had to endure. I almost could not read about his assasination. I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in history.
|
